Delhi Professor Honored for Extraordinary Faculty Achievement with SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professorship

DELHI, NY (12/29/2010)(readMedia)-- Mary Jane Giarrusso-Wilkin, professor of nursing and allied health at SUNY Delhi, has been awarded the Distinguished Teaching Professorship by the State University. This is the second time in Delhi college history that a faculty member has received the honor, which recognizes extraordinary faculty achievement.

"Mary Jane Giarrusso-Wilkin is highly deserving of this special honor," said SUNY Delhi President Candace S. Vancko. "She is an extraordinary faculty member whose dedication to teaching has ensured the development of hundreds of highly qualified nursing professionals over the past 27 years."

Professor Giarrusso-Wilkin joined SUNY Delhi in 1983 as an associate professor in nursing and allied health. She was promoted to full professor in 1998 and served as department chair from 1983 to 1988 and again from 1999 through 2004. Prior to Delhi, she was a captain in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, serving a tour in Viet Nam. As a captain, Professor Giarrusso-Wilkin was awarded two unit citations and two personal citations.

Professor Giarrusso-Wilkin has been a driving force for change and development of SUNY Delhi's nursing program. As department chair, she designed an associate degree program in career ladder format, the first of its kind in New York State. Professor Giarrusso-Wilkin provided Delhi students better access with a Nursing Weekend College program that she also designed and implemented.

Professor Giarrusso-Wilkin's belief that nursing students benefit from better connections to their community and the world led her to establish Delhi's highly successful International Service Learning course, which allows students to learn and serve, helping less fortunate patients in the Dominican Republic. She has developed other service learning avenues for Delhi nursing students through Teddy Bear Clinics for preschoolers and helped implement the Partnership for Nursing Opportunities, a unique collaboration between SUNY Delhi, Bassett Healthcare and Hartwick College that has expanded educational and employment opportunities for nurses in the region.

Professor Giarrusso-Wilkin's broad involvement in the campus community has included participation and leadership in the Scholastic Standing Committee, the Academic Council, the Internship Advisory Board, the College Senate, the Promotion Committee and the Continuing and Term Appointment Committee. Her outstanding work was recognized in 2001 when she was awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

In her community, Professor Giarrusso-Wilkin has been an active member of her church and has taught Sunday school for 25 years. She has served on the Delaware County ARC Board of Directors for over 10 years and is presently the vice president of the board.

Professor Giarrusso-Wilkin is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the nursing honor society, and the New York State Nursing Association. She holds an M.S.N. from Syracuse University and a B.S.N. from Western Carolina University.